About Audrey
by MeAndYouSettingInAHoneymoon
Summary: Love is all about that one person you chose to fight for.
1. Chances

Percy Weasley was very much comfortable working in his side of the department, thank you. Though back to square one in his ambition to achieve a glittering career in the Ministry, he showed no sign of defeat and poured all of his energy into his work, wasting no time at all in making efforts to finally see his toil paid off.

The International Magical Trading Standards Body was a hectic office, everyone knew that. It hustled and bustled maniacally and most of its employees frothed at the mouth just about every day, what with the overwhelming piles of paperwork and not to mention, owl dung.

Foreigners, honestly.

But Percy Weasley would have none of that, no. He strictly followed his work regime and exercised his ethics and practices nearly faultlessly. He was organized and well-kept, not a single delay in reports and drafts, and was always ahead of deadlines. It wouldn't hurt that he managed to snag a self-serving coffee mixer in their office, in addition to the tottering piles of work he had to sift through 8 hours a day. With infinite coffee at their arsenal thanks to him, the office was flourishing in a caffeine-fueled frenzy, and at the end of the day, no matter how hard the job was, they got work done.

He supposed that that little stroke of brilliance with the coffee mixer, to supplement his commendable services and contribution to the whole system, might have propelled any thoughts of his promotion inside his head's old fluff of a brain.

But boy, was he wrong there.

* * *

"Sir, perhaps I have misheard you?" asked Percy to his Head of Department, Mr. Bevans. He tried to maintain a cool, polite tone of voice yet he was quite up in tangles, to say the least, with what Mr. Bevans had just told him.

"Nonsense, Weasley. Don't think I ignore the marvelous work you've been putting through, my dear boy, but I simply have to evaluate you a bit more. I want to see greatly of your leadership and your management skills. As I have often told ambitious youngsters like yourself, working is not always about technicality and precision, and though both amount to a lot, it is heart that gets you through everything." said Bevans as he clapped a pudgy hand on Percy's shoulder. He was positively beaming.

"I greatly appreciate this task you're entrusting me with, sir. I assure you that I would see that this project smoothly and successfully comes into form, and that I would give it no less my full attention and care." said Percy solemnly, with his usual manic eagerness just about bubbling beneath the surface. And pompousness, of course.

Don't forget pompousness.

"Excellent! Well then I must be off, young Percy. I have to tackle those Greek imports by 4 in the afternoon, before they go off in night markets. I heard something about illegal potion tampering involving _olives_, goodness me…"

On that note, Bevans left Percy all by himself to contemplate his latest assignment. He finally let his guard down and frowned at the, well, for lack of a better term, the "eccentricity" of his task.

_'So I have to arrange a rock concert for the Ministry fair? Completely out of my job description if you ask me! But I suppose this will reap in the reward. Do I finally, FINALLY sense a promotion, Percival?'_ thought Percy with a grin slowly breaking out of his not-so-long-ago doubtful face.

This was going to be easy.


	2. Strings

Audrey Tremlett replaced her brother Donaghan as bass guitarist a week before he was to marry "that little middle-aged minx" and suffice it to say, she was in a flurry. Sure, it always was her deepest wish to join his brother's band one day, and now that she was an official Weird Sister she should be up and about in ecstasy.

But no.

No, she wasn't happy about how they were all pressuring her, especially Myron Wagtail, the lead vocalist and essentially the ringleader of them all. No, she wasn't happy that they were to perform for her brother's wedding (it was his second wedding, mind), a shindig she so badly tried to escape from (did she mention that little middle-aged whatsits?) and no, absolutely NO, she was not happy to wear the hairy rock garb up on stage. What's with all the hair and fur get-up anyway? It was SO medieval (and very itchy, not at all ideal while playing any instrument, really). They have to get on with the times, the whole lot of them has.

The band took a break from practice and their 10 minutes were now drawing to a close. Audrey was holed up in the bathroom in Orsino's London flat (he was their drummer; too bad he was a bit slow for the uptake, she thought he was cute) to try and get a little bit of peace. Being the only girl in the lot, she found it hard to fit in. It wasn't as if she didn't know them from way back, but it was different when they had to _work _together to create something that will hopefully keep their fans on their toes.

She grasped the sink with both her hands and looked up in the mirror. She saw a terribly pale face with choppy dark brown hair above the shoulders and tired violet eyes staring back. _'Ugh, I look more or less a hag, alright. Hope we pack up early.'_

* * *

"All right mates, let's try _Magic Works_ one more time, shall we?" said Myron as he motioned his band mates to pick up their instruments and get ready. He closed his eyes in what seemed like an attempt to channel concentration or energy or whatever bollocks Eastern mysticism taught him into the room. He succeeded, however, not in channeling energy or karma or dung beetles into the band's session, but in making himself look like a constipated toad. '_Marvelous. Simply fantastic. Now we have a nut in the band as leader._' thought Audrey as she snorted at her band leader's ridiculous newfound practice. Just as she did, Myron's eyes popped open and quite, really, _bulged_ at the sudden sound. He then cleared his throat when he saw that everyone in the room was staring at him, some with mouths agape and some trying to stifle laughter.

"Not bad to try and get in some, err, well, dynamism in the band, eh? I think we should all try to focus our energies on our music and, well, try to bond the heart and mind into one entity that will enable us to perform brilliantly-

"Myron, lad, I think we all agree that forcing shite out of our arse is not the way to do it. They want a show, we'll give them a show! Just not a freak show like what you're giving us, mate. I reckon you should stop sniffing out them Dandelion roots, yeah?" said Gideon as he grinned at the now stony-faced singer. Everyone let out a chuckle but they stopped when Myron cleared his throat again.

"Whatever. Okay then, well, let's crack it!"

Heathcote went in first with the rhythm, followed by Audrey with the bass line, then Kirley with the main riff. Orsino supported the melody with soft drumming, and Myron went on to sing.

_"This is your final chance  
To hold the one you love  
You know you've waited long enough_

_So, believe  
That magic works  
Don't be afraid  
Of being hurt  
Don't let this magic die  
The answer's there  
Oh, just look in her eyes…"_

Merton blended in the cello, and Herman gently went in with the lute. The song was coming together, they could all feel it. It was moments like these that made them feel they were positively, undeniably, making magic for the ears.

_"And make your final move  
Don't be scared, she wants you to  
Yeah, it's hard, you must be brave  
Don't let this moment slip away…"_

Another round of the chorus, then a repeat of the last line, followed by a delicate finish by Gideon with the bagpipes ended the song. Silence, but not an awkward one, hung in the air as they stared at each other in awe. Audrey's tired face split into a wide grin. The other guys chuckled and went on to comment.

"That was…"

"Indescribable, yeah."

"Amazing, really, it's definitely getting better."

"It would've been better if-"

"Oh shut it, you know it was brilliant!"

"Stuff yourself with doxy eggs, why don't you?"

"Come off it! The session was great, what are you guys on about?"

An argument was breaking out again, Audrey could feel it. But it was nothing to worry about; they did it all the ruddy time. She just let out a chuckle and went on to pack up the stuff while her band mates continued on rowing.

"It has nothing to do with the pipes, and you know it!"

"Bah, what a git you are eh. But you know, I think it was the lute."

"It was Myron, I say, his voice was all crackly and stuff. Probably from all that dandelion-"

Audrey bid goodnight to the lot but they carried on with their little row. She sighed and smiled inspite of herself.

She was a good 12 feet away from the gates of the flat when she heard Merton's voice.

"OOOOHHHH SO IT'S THE CELLO NOW, IS IT? I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY AND PLUCK WITH THOSE PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR DRUMSTICKS!"

Audrey guffawed, not caring how or what she looked like, even though she was getting strange looks from passers-by.

_'They're Weird Sisters, alright. Fits the bill, the name.'_

She walked down the street with her hands in her cargo pants' pockets and her lips in a smile.


	3. Ideas

"For the last time, I did not arrange for a Troll repertory!"

Things were not going as smoothly as Percy had in mind. He thought the whole rock concert assignment was a no-brainer, child's play, really, and quite a bit of an insult. But what seemed to be cakewalk and a few owls here and there, turned out to be a disaster.

"It's a ROCK CONCERT, Cadwallader, not a toss-pot hippie art convention! Do tell me you're working hard enough to at least see the week through!" bellowed Percy at his newly hired assistant. He took as swig of his now cold black coffee, and gritted his teeth. He pulled out his wand, and the poor assistant, having thought that Percy would finish him off right there and then, scampered away, overturning bottles of ink and piles of parchment along the way. Percy ignored him, and replenished his spoiled cup with a wave of his wand. With another flick, he put the mess the assistant made to right. He signed deeply and rubbed the back of his neck. _'What a week! And only two bands have agreed to play! What the hell am I supposed to do with two bands?'_

"Oh dear, I don't think Cadwallader's going to make it until Saturday, I'd say Friday night, if you pull your wand out on him again."

"Don't jest at a time like this, Ellis, I doubt I would only reserve pulling out my wand on inefficient subordinates."

Ellis Howell was one of the few in the office whom Percy had patience with. He was 27, only two years older than Percy, and had no problem with the latter's perfectionist (if not a little too extreme) tendencies.

"Is that a way to treat the bloke who came up with the answer to your little problem?" said Ellis as he grinned at the flustered red-head.

"What do you mean?" asked Percy suspiciously as he re-adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses with an index finger.

"Well, what better way to put up a rock concert than to actually get help, oh, sorry, "acquire professional assistance" from someone who really knows the deal, yeah?"

Percy contemplated this bit of information while biting his lower lip_. 'I don't think there's anything wrong with getting an outsider's opinion or two, as this is completely incompatible with my line of work. The whole thing's just getting more ridiculous every day. Yes, I think Ellis is actually right.'_

Another sigh. "Have you thought of anyone we could possibly contact, then? Clearly you put a lot of thought in this."

"Yes I did, my friend, yes I did!" said Ellis gleefully.

"Well out with it then, so I could owl him."

"I never said it was a bloke."


	4. Friends

Pink and purple bubbles floated everywhere in Audrey's lemon-yellow bathroom, accompanied by the latter's singing voice as she shimmied out of her artfully ripped tank top and cargo pants. Luxury bath things and guitars were the only things Audrey deemed worth indulging in, and everything else was _'blech'_.

She gently plopped down in the tub and slowly relaxed as she got accustomed to the warmth of the water. She sighed happily and played with the colorful foam enveloping her 5'3 form. Just when she thought that nothing could ever possibly ruin the moment, a screech owl went swooping in from the small square in the upper-corner of her bathroom which she didn't even consider as a window.

Audrey closed her eyes and sighed again, though not quite as contented as before. The owl was now perched on the edge of the tub, a fancy envelope in its beak and its impatient eyes egging her on to get it done with.

"Fine, fine, go on then, help yourself to some owl treats on the balcony on the left side of the flat. You can't miss it." said Audrey as she took the envelope from the owl. As the owl left she ripped the velvet cover open and read the letter inside. Squinting because she couldn't really read without her glasses, she reached out for them which were fortunately atop the shelf above the tub.

_'To Miss Audrey Tremlett of the Weird Sisters,_

_Greetings from the Ministry of Magic! On the ministry's behalf I would like to invite you for a lunch meeting at the Leaky Cauldron's on Saturday. This is due to an official Ministry event in which we greatly require your assistance, as well as participation. If you are perhaps wondering how you came to our attention, it was by the referral of Mr. Ellis Howell, a co-worker of mine here at the International Magical Trading Standards Body, a division of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Rest assured we would be happy to drop in a sum in exchange for your services. _

_Mr. Ellis Howell and I expect your response by tomorrow morning, as well as your hopeful arrival on Saturday, where we shall be able to debrief and negotiate terms were you to oblige by our invitation. _

_Sincerely,_

_Percy Weasley'_

Audrey re-read the letter several times before setting it down on the beech-wood stool next to the tub. _'Ellis, honestly. The poor sod's just doing this for payback.'_ Ellis was seven years older than her and was friends with her brother, Donaghan. The guy was good for a laugh, but not for anything that trespasses the line between "friendship" and "something more". Ellis actually asked her out on many occasions, and was rejected on every attempt there ever was. Audrey saw the whole Ministry thingy as a chance for him to rile her up. And for what?

"A few laughs, maybe." she muttered darkly. Just then, a kindly, pointed face of a young woman appeared where the screech owl earlier flew in.

"HEY! What the-what do you think you're-"

"Aha! I always knew you were a nutter, Audrey. First sign of madness, as they say, talking to yourself. Honestly, get yourself a new hobby."

"But how-what-there isn't even a gargoyle you can stand on out there!-what the-"

The young woman carried on as if she didn't hear a thing. "I know, I know. You're in the band now, and you have a job at Blotts as this graying kitty-cat person sifting through hundreds of books, looking for something actually publish-able, I know. But-" The woman's face disappeared from the small window, and her whole body reappeared in the bathroom. "You have got to get yourself a boyfriend!"

"What in Merlin's beard are you on about, Hannah?"

Hannah Abbott was one of the two of Audrey Tremlett's best friends. They first met on the Hogwarts Express, while the former bumped into Audrey as they were searching for a compartment. The woman had her arms folded, and it was amazing to see how she managed to look very severe when she had facial gunk on her face.

Another witch appeared in the bathroom with a faint pop! and there, in hair-curlers and fluffy bunny slippers, was Susan Bones, Audrey's other best friend.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart, Aud, you're the one in Ravenclaw." said Susan as she put her hands on her hips.

"What the hell is this?! A late evening bathroom convention for idiotic, hopelessly-romantic singles?" shouted Audrey as she looked at her best friends. Why did they have to be so weird?

"Tut, tut, no need for language, Aud. That is very unbecoming of a young lady such as yourself." said Hannah.

"Oh ho, am I supposed to be taking orders from someone with chunks of guacamole, peppermint and fluxweed on their face, then?"

"Yes-you-do!" said Hannah as she whipped out a copy of Witch Weekly's from nowhere.

"We saw the article, Audrey. What's up?" said Susan as the two of them sat on two wooden chairs that she had managed to conjure up for her and Hannah.

Audrey had no clue to what the two were going on about. She was covered in bath salts and foam from head to foot and would love nothing more than to dry herself up and eat Fortescue's Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream. But it would seem that her dairy fix would have to wait.

"What article?"

"You mean you have no clue at all as to what dear, sweet Susan and I are talking about?"

"Exactly my predicament, ladies."

"Then you also have no idea about the fact that Rita Skeeter called you a-"

"Don't want to hear it." said Audrey as she held a hand to stop Susan from reading out whatever the bejeweled bat had to say about her.

"Oh, but Aud, she practically called you a spinster!" cried Susan.

"It doesn't matter what anyone calls me, and I really couldn't care less." said Audrey as she offered up a small smile to her best friends.

"Is that you being all hushed up and mysterious again? Part of the rebellious façade, hmm, Tremlett?"

"Not at all Abbott-"

"Oooohhh look here, Hannah, Audrey's got a love letter!" shouted Susan as she picked up the letter the Ministry had sent Audrey.

The two bumped heads and read the elegant script of the sender, when something Hannah said immediately caught Audrey's attention.

"Percy Weasley, eh? Never thought I'd heard from him again-"

"But you didn't! It's for Audrey, you twat!"

"Percy Weasley? What about him?" asked Audrey. Everyone knew the Weasleys. But she was only acquainted to the twins and to Ron. She was in the same year at Hogwarts as the latter.

"Care for a bang of coconut on your head, Aud? I reckon it's the new bath salt-"

Audrey snatched the letter away from Hannah and Susan's hands and re-read the last part.

"Huh. So it is him."

"Huh, indeed. Are you planning on going then, or what?" asked Hannah.

"Yeah, Aud. I think it would be nice to do something different this weekend. And you could meet up with us in Diagon Alley afterwards! Do a little shopping, what do you think?" cheerfully supplied Susan.

"Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt to, y'know, try and see what they want me for."

"That's the spirit! Well, best be off then, the both of us. And anyway, you're looking kind of a bit like a prune now, so-"

"See you on Saturday then, Aud!"

With that, the two witches disappeared, along with the two chairs. Audrey washed herself and dried up. She put on her bathrobe and went outside to scoop up some of the ice cream. She took out the pint from the shelf (which was charmed to work like a Muggle refrigerator) and grabbed a spoon. She then settled into the plush sofa. She took off the lid and saw two distinct spoon shaped dents on the smooth, creamy surface.

_'Why should I even be surprised?'_ thought Audrey as she sighed in defeat and smiled at the silliness of her best friends.


	5. Conversations

"Heard you got a Ministry gig, sis." said Donaghan Tremlett, Audrey's older brother. The Tremlett family was gathered around the rarely used mahogany, where they ate their weekly family dinner quietly. The silence wasn't unpleasant, but it was sort of getting tiresome. Well, tiresome for Audrey anyway. She wasn't that talkative or anything, but she would have loved to at least listen to a conversation or two, even if it was about the most mundane of things.

She wanted a normal family, with normal dinner talks and normal table cloth (really, linen?) and not a posh-pedigree lot with blood as the only thing they have in common. She was itching to get rid of the revolting gold and silver centerpiece and chuck it outside their window, where it might possibly take the hideous statue of a butt-naked man (she didn't even know who it was!) out as well.

She was poking sadly at her steak when her brother brought up the topic. She looked up and saw her parents looking at her with their eyebrows raised.

"Audrey dear, since when have you been working for the Ministry? Why, I had always thought you were so keen to remain in your job at that bookshop. And haven't you already joined your brother's, er, music band?"

Audrey just stared at her mother as the latter continued to waffle on.

"Commitment is an absolute thing, child. You mustn't bite off more than you can chew. You might overexert yourself."

Audrey's mother was Minerva McGonagall minus the wonderful redeeming qualities. She was strict, severe and at most times, unpleasant.

Audrey never got on the best of terms with her mother.

"It's not a permanent thing, really. I was only invited to help out at one of their events. I don't even know what it's all about, but I will on Saturday when I go and meet the people who sent me the owl."

Her mother sighed, probably disappointed when she found out that Audrey wasn't going full-time at the Ministry, and that she still wasn't dropping her job at Flourish and Blotts. Her father, on the other half, looked happy on hearing the news.

"That is very nice to hear, Audrey. It's great to hear that you're trying on different things, you're still very much young! Experience will get you through a lot in life, m'dear, I tell you. Why, when I was still fresh out of Hogwarts I went on a European trip with nothing but my wand and a few robes and chocolate frogs for company! There was even a time when-"

Mr. Tremlett suddenly stopped upon seeing Mrs. Tremlett's face. Audrey and her brother Donaghan tried to stifle their laughs and were reduced to shaking silently. Donaghan offered Audrey a small smile and she let up a grin in return.

"Raspberry sorbet, anyone?"

Sometimes, Audrey was thankful for her brother.

* * *

"RON, YOU CLOSE YOUR MOUTH WHILE YOU'RE EATING!"

It was the usual boisterous affair at the Weasleys' dinner table. As always, Molly Weasley had whipped up an excellent dinner for the family, with Harry, Hermione and little Teddy Lupin as regulars that the only thing missing from them was red hair. It consisted of Chicken and Mushroom puff pie, mash, salad and summer pudding. Everyone was happily stuffing themselves and engaging in all sorts of conversation in different parts of the table. Ginny and George were talking about an upcoming reunion Quidditch match at Hogwarts; Percy, Hermione and Harry discussed something about a new Ministry work policy while the latter fed Teddy little bits and pieces of mash; Molly was fussing about Ron; Arthur was laughing with Bill while they made fun of Charlie's ex-girlfriends (the last one, to their horror, was a transvestite) and Fleur was trying to placate baby Victoire while spooning the 7-month old with bits summer pudding.

"How's that rock concert coming up then, Perce?" asked Bill from across the table. George looked at his brother with a nasty grin, while Ron's jaw dropped, exposing just about the entire dinner menu inside his mouth. Molly pointed her wand at his youngest son, and soon the latter was chewing with his mouth closed.

"It's been excellent, really."

"Rubbish."

"Bill!" exclaimed Molly with a warning look on her face. She was always very cautious when it came to Percy. Apparently the scars her son left when he disowned the family had never fully quite healed on her, and she was determined to do prevent anything that might spark another family feud.

"Excuse me? You don't think I could manage getting a few bands together to perform at such an important Ministry event?" Despite the banter, Percy was actually grinning. He learned to loosen up a bit after the Battle of Hogwarts, and put effort into not taking anything too seriously. Except his work, of course. But when it comes to family fun, Percy was all about lightening up and sitting back.

"Well, you're not exactly the type of person to actually enjoy doing this kind of task, eh?" asked Ginny, ignoring her mother's looks.

"I had it all sorted out, don't you all worry. I scheduled for a meeting with a member of the Weird Sisters on Saturday. I'm inviting her to join me in organizing the concert, and to perform with her band there as well. It's all good." Arthur smiled at his son and continued to devour his pie, while also perusing the evening edition of the Prophet. Bill smirked and engaged in a conversation with Fleur, who was once again complaining about how all the food was making her fat (but to anyone who really took time to look at the French woman, she was quite as happy as the rest of them to stuff a third helping of the pie and a have a fourth bowl of the salad).

"The Weird Sisters? Aren't they kind of a high-profile band? But if it's for the Ministry, I'm sure they'll agree. They won't let an offer like that up." said Hermione.

"Yeah they'll agree! They're bloody brilliant! I wish you do get them Perce, it'll be nice a nice break from them goblin poets. Remember last year's fair? I almost slept through the entire three days, I tell you." said Ron.

"Let's all hope Percy doesn't scare that band member away, then. Say Perce, who were you going to meet up with again?" asked George.

"Oh, it's Audrey Tremlett."

"Hang on, I think I know her!"

"You do know her, Ron, she was in the same year with us at Hogwarts! She was also in the D.A. and if I remember correctly, she was close friends with Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. I think she was in Ravenclaw." said Hermione.

"I remember her; she hexed Pansy Parkinson so that her hair was in dreadlocks for a week. That was a good one." said Harry as he grinned in memory of Audrey Tremlett's deed.

"She was also the one who charmed the cats in Umbridge's photographs to look like Fred and I after we left! Lee told us and even owled a photo." chuckled George.

"What a charming personality that girl has, I could already tell." muttered Percy.

"Oh don't be like that Percy, we know Audrey, and she's great! She's a bit of a prankster, really, but then again you've had Fred and George for brothers, so it can't get any more extreme than that." assured Ginny.

"I suppose." said Percy. He had hoped that the whole affair with rock concert would finally run a smooth course, but with what he heard about Audrey Tremlett, he wasn't so sure now.

Percy sighed and took a long sip from his eggnog. _'Well then I guess it's me crossed-fingered for Saturday. Audrey Tremlett, I hope you're worth the risk.'_

"TEDDY, NO! THAT'S NOT MASH!" cried Harry as he tried to wrestle the toddler's hands (which were covered in something decidedly, not mash) away from his mouth.

Ron laughed at his best friend while Hermione looked at her boyfriend with disapproval. George began playing with his niece, Victoire, producing purple and gold sparks from his wand and emitting gurgled laughs from the baby. Ginny helped Harry with his godson and everyone else took second helpings of the dessert.

All in all, it was the usual rowdy dinner at the Burrow.


	6. Bets

_"Late risers are second-raters!"_

_"Wake up, you git!"_

_"Good morning, Minister."_

Three of Percy's alarm clocks set off at the same time, filling the room with noises of various degrees of shrillness, as well as colorful language.

"PERCY!-"The latter had managed to shut off the last alarm (a gift from Ellis, by the way) before it could spew any more profanities.

Saturday had finally arrived. Percy sat up and rubbed his eyes. He snatched his glasses from his bedside table (which was cluttered with both old and recent Prophets and alarm clocks, as well as spare parchments and ink bottles) and adjusted the horn-rimmed frame on the bridge of his nose. He made his bed the Muggle way, having been attached to the methodical aspect of it. After that he stretched his arms and yawned, then made his way to the bathroom when he saw the outside of his window. His jaw dropped.

It was storming.

It was an all out cacophony of rumbling thunder, pelts of rain and shrieking lightning. He peered in closer out his bedroom window and even saw poor owls being carried off away by the harsh winds.

Percy groaned and rushed outside his bedroom and into the living room, where he kept a modest fireplace. He pointed his wand at the grate, and soon the long deadened coals and wood shavings were alive with flames. He grabbed a fistful of Floo powder and threw it on the fire and shouted, "Number 6, St. James' Place!" He poked his head in and saw Ellis fortunately asleep on his couch. He still wore his work robes from yesterday, and was obviously hung-over from a binge-drinking session last night. He snored in his sleep, yet at the moment Percy didn't give a damn.

"ELLIS! WAKE UP!"

Ellis, however, was still soundly asleep, and Percy, having lost his patience, pointed his wand at his friend and soon the latter was wide awake.

He wasn't too happy, though.

"What in the name of-Percy, what the hell mate?! Can't you take a hint and let me carry on with my sleep?" hissed Ellis.

"Can't YOU take a hint, Ellis? Look outside your damn window!"

Ellis got up from the couch with a sort of disjointed posture, and an irritated look on his face. He yanked his curtains open and saw to his horror, the raging storm. He turned to look at Percy, and as he began to speak he was cut off by the latter.

"Don't you dare say it's just a bit of rain."

"I wasn't going to!"

"Well what are we going to do now, then? I highly doubt Ms. Tremlett would consider going now that there's basically a hurricane." snapped Percy.

"Look, it's just 6 in the morning. We invited her for a LUNCH meeting, right? I reckon this storm thing's gonna wane soon enough. Just wait for it." assured Ellis. Just then, his face turned green and as he felt his insides churning, he bolted to the bathroom, where he deposited much of last night's provisions.

Percy scowled.

* * *

"You know what? I don't think it's going to go away soon, the storm."

"Right little ray of sunshine, aren't you?"

The Weird Sisters were camped inside Audrey's flat, and to what the reason was, she had no idea. She supposed it was a normal thing for them to pop in and out of the members' flats once in a while. They also did that back when her brother was a member. She was actually touched at the gesture, and even gathered up the energy to prepare tea and snacks for them. Soon, platters of salmon sandwiches and biscuits were being passed around the living room, as well as trays of tea with different flavors. As it was, Audrey was quite the hostess.

"Thanks a ton, Audrey, we were actually getting a bit hungry." said Myron as he grinned at Audrey. The members were now stuffing themselves with the sandwiches, and were grateful for the fact that the platters were refilling on their own.

"What are you up for then, later?" asked Orsino.

"Well I was supposed to have this lunch meeting with Percy Weasley and Ellis, but since the storm's still out there, I don't know anymore. You know Ellis, right? Ellis Howell?"

"Yeah, he's a mate. Hang on; you're meeting up with a Weasley? That should be interesting enough." said Kirley with a weird mixture of curiosity and excitement on his face.

"Yes, well-"

"He's brothers with that Ron Weasley, isn't he?" asked Herman.

"Yeah. Actually I'm in the same year as Ron-"

"Well, Audrey, if you ever got the chance of meeting Harry Potter, put in a good word for us, eh? It would be nice to get acquainted-"

"I _have_ met him, you know-"

The Weird Sisters then talked among themselves while continuing to eat sandwiches and nibble on biscuits. Audrey sighed and ate her biscuit in silence. _'Why do they have to gossip like old women?' _she thought, quite annoyed and amused at the same time.

"-yeah, I saw that in a magazine-"

Suddenly, all heads turned to look at Audrey, while the latter raised her eyebrows at them.

"What?"

The band looked at each other, then after a solid minute Gideon spoke up.

"Audrey we saw the article, all right, no point at all in hiding it anymore. You should talk to us more often, you know, share a thing or two! We had no idea you were having trouble dating-"

"But I don't! Date, I mean." Seriously, the Rita Skeeter article was getting more and more out of hand with each passing day.

They all looked at her skeptically. Audrey inwardly groaned.

"I am perfectly happy on my own. I don't need some schmuck to make me feel contented. I'm quite alright, and nobody needs to worry about anything. Got it?" said Audrey irritably.

They contemplated her words for a bit and nodded. Audrey felt relieved then, knowing that the matter was closed and done with-

"How about a bet, then?" said Heathcote with a grin on his face.

"A what?" Audrey was now positively confused.

"You heard him. Let's have a bet then, to see if you really have no problem with-er-dating. What do you say, gentlemen?" quipped Myron. Oh, he was the ringleader of them all, all right.

"Yeah, alright!"

"I think it's, okay, I guess…"

"Perfectly harmless, I say."

"Wait just a darn minute, you lot. WHAT ARE YOU ALL YAKKING ABOUT HERE? What's a bet have to do with anything here?" If Audrey was confused earlier, she was annoyed now.

"We have to disabuse any notion of you having trouble dating. You got to admit Audrey, it's bad for publicity. We're not going to do anything that might blow out of proportion, so a bet's probably the best thing to do. Plus, it's quite fun." said Merton cheerfully.

It was Audrey's turn with the band to stare at cellist.

"What? Can't a bloke say something intelligible once in a while?"

"I think it's, okay, I guess…"

"Perfectly harmless, I say."

Audrey sighed for the nth time, and said, "Well, what's the bet all about?"

The band practically floated in ecstasy and anticipation. They looked like very hairy cherubs in that instant, Audrey thought.

"You make a bloke fall in love with you."

"No one from the band, yeah?"

"We also have to have a time frame for this, y'know…"

"Four months!"

"Three months!"

"Two months, and let's make that final."

"Fine. What do I get if I do it?" grumbled Audrey.

The band looked at each other.

"Let's just say we'll make it a point to visit that little publishing company in America. What's the name of it again?" said Myron playfully.

"Quill and Co., right?" Orsino joined in.

"Right. And we might just convince them to, oh, you know, _put up a branch here in London_."

"With a certain 20-year old witch to manage it."

"How's that for an exchange, eh?"

Audrey couldn't believe her ears. _'Seriously, Quill and Co. HERE? As in, HERE in London? And I get to manage it?' _She almost cried with joy.

"Not so fast Aud, there's also the other side of the deal."

"What's that?" Audrey still couldn't let go of the possibility of her as a Quill and Co. manager. She just couldn't.

"You quit your job at Flourish and Blotts."

Audrey's heart skipped a beat. The stakes were high on this one, then. For what seemed like five minutes the whole band was silent, until Audrey broke it up.

"All right. Is there anyone in particular I should be wooing, then?" Audrey tried to keep her voice as cool as possible. But in reality, she was very much unsure of how things would turn out. She wasn't worried about the bet or anything, but she was worried about losing her job. It was the stark, solid reminder that she ruled her own life, and that no one else had a say in it. It was the mark of her independence.

"Percy Weasley!" squeaked Heathcote.

"What? But I don't even know him!"

"But you will, won't you?"

"In about an hour, to be exact." Audrey looked at her watch and indeed, she was to be at the Leaky Cauldron's for the meeting in an hour. _'Guess it's decided then.'_ thought Audrey.

"So the bet is on then, yes?" asked Myron. Everyone nodded.

"Let's make it official, shall we? Okay, so the Weird Sisters, excluding Audrey, bet that Audrey _can't_ make Percy Weasley fall in love with her in a span of two months. If she can, then we'll make Quill and Co., London happen. If she can't, then-"

"I quit my job, yeah." said Audrey firmly.

"Right. Pass me one of those lemon biscuits Kirley then, there's a good lad."


	7. Toasts

The Leaky Cauldron was jam-packed with customers, most of them biding their time and waiting for the horrible weather to get better. Percy and Ellis were seated at the bar, and while waiting for Audrey they enjoyed a shot of Firewhisky or two. Well, actually, it was Ellis who was enjoying a shot of Firewhisky (or two, maybe five) (even the barman lost count) and Percy was sullenly thinking of the many, many ways of how the whole thing could go wrong. His elbows were propped on the bar, while his chin rested on his entwined fingers. They have been like that for almost an hour now, and with each minute Percy grew more anxious of whether their guest would show up or not. But fate looked kindly upon Percy that day, and just when he was about to suggest leaving, Ellis shouted, _"Hey Aud! We're over here!"_

Percy turned around and there she was, a vision in wet monochrome.

Audrey was soaked to the bone, and left a puddle where she was standing. Her drenched choppy brown hair was almost black, and her skin was white as sheet. Her heavy gray sweater and dragon-hide boots did nothing to ease the chattering of her teeth. Her bright violet eyes, however, were warm albeit a bit embarrassed.

"Oh Audrey, you're in a right state, you are!" exclaimed Ellis. Percy shook himself internally to register their newly arrived guest.

"I c-can manag-ge you g-git," said Audrey with a smile on her pale, shivering lips. Ellis chuckled at the taunt. She managed to pull her wand out and cast a drying spell on herself with a bit of difficulty, but she succeeded nonetheless.

"Alright then, er, let's get down to business, then," said Percy, quite unsure on how to proceed.

"Oi Percy! Introduce yourself to our guest first, or have you forgotten all about common courtesy?" said Ellis cheekily.

Audrey raised an eyebrow at her friend and shook her magnificent head. She then smirked and said, "Oh Ellis, you are just as hopeless as ever." She then looked at Percy with a smile and shook his hand without warning.

"Hi! I'm Audrey Tremlett, and you are obviously Percy Weasley, so let's not waste another minute and order up, yes? I've reached the point where I could eat you both up." She then let go of Percy's hand and went a beeline for a spare table. Ellis looked at Percy as he shook with silent laughter, while the latter rolled his eyes.

While searching for seats she deduced Percy's personality in about a nutshell. _'So, big ego, highly ambitious, stuck-up and no-fun. What an easy task this is going to be, then,' _she thought sarcastically.

The trio relocated to a booth and soon after they were eating. Ellis was cutting up his steak when he started the conversation.

"So, Aud, nice of you turn up despite the lovely weather," said Ellis with a sort of inebriated grin.

Percy scowled and thought, _'Oh great, I have the world's biggest alcoholic as mediator for a Ministry project. Ruddy marvelous.'_

Audrey snorted and looked up from her pie, apparently aware of her friend's intoxication. "I would never ever want to miss an opportunity to meet up with you Ellis, you know that," she said, with a mock pout.

"Yes, well, I'm sure we all wouldn't want to miss Ellis on one of his hung-over specials, which incidentally features a projectile vomiting act as well as a carpet-crawl race with an imaginary snail where funnily enough, the imaginary snail wins," snapped Percy as his anxiety made it hard for him to breathe and think about the next step he would take into closing the deal with Audrey.

Fortunately, Audrey pretended that she didn't notice Percy's sour mood and took the latter's biting remark as a joke. She laughed while Ellis, sensing Percy's disdain, straightened up and tried to shake out of his drunkenness.

Percy sighed deeply and re-routed the conversation into the main topic. "Anyway, why don't we talk about the business deal? I'm sure Miss Tremlett would want to be informed of the project as soon as possible. Am I right, Miss Tremlett?" said Percy with an attempt of a smile on his lips.

"Yeah. So what's this event, then?" asked Audrey, feinting interest. Truth be told, she already knew what the event was, and why she was called for, having seen the Ministry flyers all around Diagon Alley when she went to work. She actually put two and two together all by herself, yet playing a little dumb might just help stroke Weasley's ego, and make him feel in charge of things.

Audrey wasn't going to lose her job, not to a Ginger with an inflated ego.

"The Ministry of Magic holds an annual three-day fair, you see, and this year the heads have thought of putting up a rock concert for show, to stir things up a bit. I am not going to lie to you, Miss Tremlett, things have been very difficult for me and only two acts have signed up to perform. I reached out to you in the hopes of making things move faster and easier. What do you say?"

"Oh! Okay, I get it, I get it," exclaimed Audrey. Her mind whirled with about a hundred possibilities on how to tackle the project. _'Let's do this, Aud.'_

"So you'll join us, then?" asked Ellis. He was getting nervous about Percy and how he would react if things didn't go according to plan.

"I think I'm up for it," said Audrey with a grin. Percy exhaled in relief, and for the first time since they met he genuinely offered her a smile. _'Huh,'_ thought Audrey. There's much to be learned about the Weasley bloke then, that she was sure of.

"I'd be happy to accommodate you after work hours. We can meet up in my office at 5 o'clock everyday and brainstorm there. I imagine this project would take about two months, at most, until the concert is finished. Is that alright?" asked Percy, all negative vibes washed off of him. He was honestly elated at the fact that he wouldn't have to do the project blindly anymore.

"I think so," said Audrey quite cheerfully. She was relieved that she didn't have to take time off of work to do the task.

"I propose a toast, then," cut in Ellis, also very much relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with Percy's temper, were things going the opposite direction they are now. "-to the success of this bloody rock concert!"

"To success!" All three glasses touched with a chink. Audrey laughed at Ellis and his eagerness to finish his drink in one gulp. Percy smiled at the way things went and continued to much at the remains of his sandwich.

_'To success, indeed,'_ thought Audrey as she laughed with Ellis.

* * *

A/N:I was blushing the whole time I was writing this because I was listening to "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer! Sigh, how I love that song. As we Pinays say, "Nakaka-kilig!"


	8. Promises

_"YOU DID WHAT?"_

Audrey grimaced as Hannah showered her face with spit. It wasn't that Hannah had horrible dental hygiene or anything, but spit was still spit.

They were in Madam Malkin's fitting room, where they accompanied Susan as she looked for something to wear on her friend's wedding. Audrey and Hannah sat on the bench outside Susan's fitting room, while the latter was unceremoniously throwing dresses that didn't fit or didn't suit her over the curtain rod. Susan stopped hauling one of the dresses midway when she heard Hannah shout. She yanked the fitting room curtain open, quite forgetting that she was only in her brassiere and slacks (and that her usually immaculate auburn locks looked like a vulture's nest).

"What's going on?"

The two looked at her with very different expressions. Audrey looked a little bit frightened, while Hannah looked vicious. She raised an eyebrow at her best friends. Audrey looked sideways at Hannah.

"I suppose you want to tell her." Hannah sighed and closed her eyes for a bit. When she opened them they were a fiery brown. "Alright then." She suddenly stood up, folded her arms and paced back and forth.

"So, Audrey here made a _stupid, stupid_ bet with her band mates."

"And?"

Hannah threw her hands up in frustration and let out half a scream. Madam Malkin immediately went to see what the commotion was all about and popped her head in the fitting room area.

"Something wrong with the fit girls? I can always make alterations, you know," said Madam Malkin with a worried, crinkled face.

"Nothing's wrong at all Madam Malkin! We'll just carry on here!" shouted Susan as she tried to dismiss the elderly seamstress with a wave of her hand.

"I'll just be outside if you need me, then, dears." With that, Madam Malkin left the girls to their conversation.

Hannah sat down again, but her arms remain folded. Audrey looked at her friend with a pained expression. Susan was getting annoyed now, and whipped out her wand. The two suddenly looked up at her.

"If you don't tell me what's going on THIS INSTANT then I'm afraid I'll just have to-"

"I have to make Percy Weasley fall in love with me or else I quit my job at the Blotts!" cried Audrey. She then covered her face with her hands. Hannah looked at her sympathetically, and then put her arm around her best friend. Susan squatted so she could look closely at her Audrey, while patting the latter's knee.

"Can you please tell me everything, Aud? Right from the beginning?"

Audrey set down her hands on her lap and sighed. "So the band was there in the flat, right? T'was around 9 I think, or 10 o'clock. Anyway, things were fine until they brought up the article-"Hannah and Susan looked at each other with guilty looks on their faces, then continued to listen to Audrey.

"-then one of them suggested that we have a bet, to see if I had problems dating and all that bull, y'know and it all went down to either me getting Quill and Co. here or me losing Flourish and Blotts and I-I didn't know what to do! And now I have to woo this enormous prat with an ego to match the size of the London Eye!"

"Then get off of it! Put an end to this! Is there any reason why you-"Susan stopped halfway when her eyes popped. "Oh no, _please_ tell me you didn't."

It was Hannah's turn to look at her best friends. "Am I missing something here?" asked Hannah with furrowed eyebrows. Audrey looked at Susan, and then slowly nodded.

"Oh _Merlin_," moaned Susan as she slumped to the floor. She started chewing on the tips of her hair, as she did every time she was under pressure or worried. It was a habit she got not long after she splinched herself at the Apparition lessons back then. Hannah looked at Susan intently, then at Audrey, when realization suddenly dawned upon her face.

"It's the Unbreakable Vow, isn't it?"

"We got a bit drunk! And then, it sort of, _happened_," said Audrey miserably.

* * *

**Flashback**

_"Let's make it official, shall we? Okay, so the Weird Sisters, excluding Audrey, bet that Audrey can't make Percy Weasley fall in love with her in a span of two months. If she can, then we'll make Quill and Co., London happen. If she can't, then-" _

_"I quit my job, yeah." said Audrey firmly. _

_"Right. Pass me one of those lemon biscuits Kirley then, there's a good lad."_

_"Why don't we make things interesting? Open up a bottle of wine or something!" suggested Gideon._

_"Well I think I might have some elf-made wine there in the cupboard-"Before Audrey could finish her sentence Orsino already summoned the said wine._

_"Accio wine!"_

_Soon, the Weird Sisters were in varying degrees of intoxication, and even Audrey had trouble keeping herself from giggling like mad. _

_"Alright, alright, we MUST have an unbreakable vow to start things properly, I think," suggested Myron._

_Audrey stopped giggling and pouted. "Do we need to? Do we? Do we?" she said as she clutched Myron's hand and playfully tossed it up and down._

_"Yes, my little love crumpet, we absolutely must," said Myron with so much solemnity that Audrey started laughing again. Myron caught Audrey's hand, and signaled Herman to be their bonder, to which the latter happily obliged. Herman pulled out his wand, and pointed it at their locked wrists. The whole band was watching them now, laughing and drinking, with no clue at all as to what was happening._

_"Do you, Audrey Eli-Ele-Eleanor-ugh, that was quite a mouthful-Tremlett, swear to do the-hiccup- bet, and promise to-hiccup-seriously attempt to woo the poor Weatherby-hiccup-I mean Weasley boy until he-hiccup-falls in love with you?"_

_"Yes I do!" said Audrey cheerfully. The band giggled around the two. A red misty line soon appeared and swirled around their wrists. _

_"Do you promise that if you lose the bet, you quit your job at Flourish and Blotts?"_

_"You betcha!" The red line grew thicker and brighter._

_"Alrighty, then, you have got yourself a proper bet!" The red line then slowly dissipated, leaving only faint traces of the spell._

_"Let's drink to that, people!" shouted Merton._

_Their little party raged on, as well as the storm outside. Audrey laughed and laughed and found herself wondering whether she was ever going to stop or not. Yet when she caught a glimpse of her wristwatch, she yelled, startling Merton and Herman who both sandwiched her. _

_"I have to get going!"_

_"Awww, but we've just started!"_

_"Shut it, you git! She has to go now, you know, for Weatherby!"_

_"For Weatherby!" they all shouted as they raised their glasses in the air. They then each took a long drink and continued to laugh._

_"Give him our love, Audrey baby!"_

_'Right. If they're saying things like Audrey baby then they're positively pissed,' Audrey thought._

_But then again, so was she._

_Audrey put on her black dragon-hide boots (which she had attempted for four times before she had them both properly on) and flattened her hair a bit (which resulted in having the effect opposite of what she had intended). When she was sure that she had everything she needed (wand = check, money = check, sanity = not so much), she turned on the spot and apparated deliberately outside the Leaky Cauldron rather than within the threshold, where she could rid off her drunkenness with a bit of a rain shower. It was a miracle she didn't splinch herself, she thought. After a few minutes, Audrey got herself a clear head with the price of chattering teeth and soggy boots. 'I can do with a drying spell, no problem,' she thought. 'Let's get it on, then.' _

_With her head held high and her fists clenched at her sides, she marched inside the pub._

* * *

"So the truth of the matter is, then, you get to _maybe_ lose your job, get a new one, or die?"

Audrey, Hannah and Susan were now at the counter, where the latter was paying for her dress (a body-hugging deep-green tube with a v-cut and a flowy skirt).

"That sums it all up, yeah."

"I think we all know that you'd rather die than to lose your job, Aud. But then again with this-"Susan flittered her hands for lack of a better term.

"I know," muttered Audrey. _'How could I have possibly let myself go like that?! How could I have been so enormously STUPID?' _she thought angrily.

"It's not entirely your fault, if that cheers you up," said Hannah.

"Oh that cheers me up a WHOLE lot, thanks Hannah," snapped Audrey.

"I'm only trying to help you, Audrey! You're the one who got yourself into this mess, so don't jump on my throat for only trying to make you at least a bit better!" shouted Hannah, hurt that Audrey was giving no sense of gratitude at all that even though her stupidity, they still sided with her.

Susan clutched her parcel and looked nearly on the verge of tears. Audrey didn't know what to do at that moment and went to hug Hannah and Susan with all the strength she could muster. The two hugged her back and they broke apart only when Susan complained about not being able to breathe. The three laughed and wiped away tears from their eyes.

"I don't know how I can ever make it without you two. You know that, right?"

"Bloody hell, we do!"

"We're always here, Aud. Always."

The trio then stepped out of the shop and a burst of sunlight greeted them, temporarily blinding their eyes. When they had adjusted to the sudden brightness, Audrey said, "Huh. I guess it stopped raining."

And indeed, it did.

"Sleepover at your house, Susan! What say you, m'lady?" said Hannah gleefully.

"Oh, all right then. Just make sure you don't fight with Bluebell, or else-"

"I'm not the one starting fights with your cat Hannah, and you know it."

Audrey closed her eyes and smiled. For a little while she could enjoy moments of peace like this. Well, at least until Monday came.

* * *

A/N: Hi guys! So the Weatherby thing is totally from Goblet of Fire, and I wanted to use it because I would like to think that people would really quite confuse Weasley and Weatherby when used on Percy.

And the part with "Always." You all know where that came from. *sniffs

"You and Me" – The Wannadies made this story possible, by the way :D


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